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Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos to retire after 27 seasons

Austin Peay v Kansas

DES MOINES, IA - MARCH 17: Head coach Dave Loos of the Austin Peay Governors looks on from the sideline in the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 17, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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After 27 years at Austin Peay, head coach Dave Loos will retire, the university announced on Thursday evening.

During his tenure, he earned the nickname, ‘The Dean of Ohio Valley Conference Coaches.’

As head coach of the Governors, Loos has compiled 421 wins, five regular season conference titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, the most recent of those trips coming last year. After sneaking into the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 8 seed, Austin Peay went on an improbable run, winning four games in as many days to earn the automatic bid.

This season, the Governors posted an 11-19 (7-9 OVC) record, failing to qualify for the conference’s postseason tournament. Loos, 69, missed four games during the 2016-17 campaign as he continued to undergo chemotherapy, something he had done since the summer. In July, Loos underwent successful surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. During the procedure, a growth on one of his lymph nods was found, according to the university.

Assistant coach Jay Bowen replaced Loos on the sideline during his leave of absence.

Loos spent 31 years as a head coach, beginning his career at Chris Brothers University, an NAIA school. In between head coaching positions at Christian Brothers and Austin Peay, Loos was an assistant coach under Larry Finch at (then known as) Memphis State.